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Engineered Wood Products and An Introduction To Timber Structural Systems

This document introduces engineered wood products (EWPs) and timber structural systems. EWPs such as glued laminated timber, finger joints, plywood, and laminated veneer lumber are created by combining smaller wood pieces, veneers, or fibers into larger structural elements. EWPs allow for larger timber sections and greater design flexibility compared to traditional sawn timber. The document describes different EWPs including their manufacturing processes and common applications in floor, wall, and beam construction.

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Sang Keun Yoo
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
264 views7 pages

Engineered Wood Products and An Introduction To Timber Structural Systems

This document introduces engineered wood products (EWPs) and timber structural systems. EWPs such as glued laminated timber, finger joints, plywood, and laminated veneer lumber are created by combining smaller wood pieces, veneers, or fibers into larger structural elements. EWPs allow for larger timber sections and greater design flexibility compared to traditional sawn timber. The document describes different EWPs including their manufacturing processes and common applications in floor, wall, and beam construction.

Uploaded by

Sang Keun Yoo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2 STRUCTURAL TIMBER

ENGINEERING BULLETIN

Engineered wood products and an


introduction to timber structural systems

There are limitations on the maximum cross-sectional size


and lengths of sawn timber that can be used as a structural
component due to the availability of log sizes and the presence
of naturally occurring defects in the timber (see Timber
Engineering Notebook No. 1).

These defects can be cut out and the timber reconstituted using engineered wood
techniques such as finger jointing (Figure 1) to create longer lengths of timber of
an assured strength grade, or laminating to form a homogeneous timber section.
Combinations of timber or laminated sections with different materials such as
Figure 1
wood-based boards or metal elements are used to create ‘engineered wood products’
Finger jointing of timber
(EWPs) whose maximum size is limited only by manufacturing, handling and
transportation constraints.

In addition to engineered wood products, there are reconstituted board products which
Table 1: Fibre size and beam types for timber products
comprise smaller wood-based strands and fibres re-formed into panel products. These
have structural applications but are also used extensively in the furniture-making and
Timber Sawn timber sections
packaging industries. Types of timber structural systems and their applications are also As cut from the tree

D E C R E A S I N G S I Z E O F O R I G I N A L W O O D M AT E R I A L
introduced in this Notebook.
Engineered Finger jointed lengths of timber
wood Fabricated from smaller lengths
Engineered wood products products of timber to form a longer
(EWPs) element length
EWPs including glued laminated timber, finger joints, plywood, stressed skin panels,
mechanically and adhesive bonded web beams and connectored and nail plated trusses, Glulam and CLT
have been in existence for at least 40 years. Small sections typically 25-45mm
thick glued together to form a bigger
Recently, there have been significant developments in the range of EWPs for structural beam or slab section
applications with materials such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL), parallel strand lumber
Veneers e.g. LVL or plywood
(PSL), laminated strand lumber (LSL), prefabricated I-beams, metal web joists and Typically 2-4mm thick wood glued
‘massive’ or cross-laminated timber (CLT) becoming more widely available. together to form sections –
both boards and beams
These EWPs are typically manufactured by adhesively laminating together smaller
softwood sections or laminates (e.g. glulam and CLT) or veneers or strands of timber Reconstituted Strands e.g. OSB wood slices
(e.g. LVL, LSL and PSL). The varying performance of EWPs is influenced by the size of board Glued together to form sections
wood component used in the product. At one end of the spectrum smaller sections of products – both boards and beams
timber are laminated and finger jointed to form sections of glulam, whilst at the other end, Wood fibres
reconstituted board products such as oriented strand boards (OSBs) and medium density Bonded to form sections – more
fibre boards (MDFs) use small wood strands or fibres bonded together (Table 1). typically used for board products
than beams e.g. particleboards and
fibreboards

www.structuraltimber.co.uk

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Figure 3 Softwood chords


Use of I joists for a floor structure

Plywood or OSB web

Profiled metal webs

Timber or LVL flange Figure 4


Open web joist

Plywood
Plywood is a flat panel made by bonding together, under pressure, a number
of thin layers of veneers (or plies). Plywood was the first type of EWP to be
widely available.

The structural properties and strength of plywood depend mainly on the


number, thickness, species and orientation of the plies.

The structural grade plywoods that are commonly used in the UK


construction industry are:

• American construction and industrial plywood


• Canadian softwood plywood
Thin webbed joists (I joists) • Finnish birch-faced, birch and conifer plywoods. Birch
plywood gives a good fair-faced finish and is readily persuaded
I joists (Figure 2) are an EWP manufactured with flanges made from into curved profiles
softwood or LVL with glued thin webs generally made from OSB, fibreboard • Swedish softwood plywood
or plywood. I joists can be used to resist either flexural or axial loads or a
combination of both (Figure 3). Plywoods are typically used for roof and floor decking applications
and for wall sheathing boards.
Metal web or open web joist Plywood for structural applications should be specified as “having
Open web joists are shallow parallel-chord trusses manufactured using exterior glue bond to BS EN 314-2 and veneers in compliance with BS EN
similar techniques to that used for trussed rafters comprising a member 636:2003”. This replaces the previous definition for the plywood of WBP
with flanges (or chords) usually made from softwood and with metal or exterior grade where ‘WBP’ describes the properties of the adhesive and
timber strutting to form the webs (Figure 4). ‘exterior grade’ describes the durability of the outer veneers.

The chords (and webs where timber webs are used) are generally planed The characteristic strength and stiffness values for plywood for use in
softwood graded in accordance with BS EN 14081-1. The strength class structural design are contained in BS EN 12369-2:2004.
of the timber is usually C27 in accordance with BS EN 338:2009 or TR26
(whose characteristic strength values are equal to that of C27 but whose Laminated veneer lumber
characteristic stiffness values are taken from BS5268-2:2002). The depth of Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is a structural member manufactured by
the chords is generally 47mm and their widths range from 72mm to 145mm. bonding together thin vertical softwood veneers with their grain parallel to
Metal webs are typically profiled, nominal 1mm galvanised light gauge steel the longitudinal axis of the section, under heat and pressure. In some cases
with a zinc coating specification of Z275. cross grain veneers are incorporated to improve dimensional stability.
Open web joists are principally used as a roof or floor joist element. They are LVL is often used for high load applications to resist either flexural or axial
often preferred to I-joists as they allow a combined services and structural loads or a combination of both. It can provide both panels and beam/column
zone. elements.

The requirements for LVL are contained in product standard BS EN

www.structuraltimber.co.uk 14374:2004.

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Laminated strand lumber


Laminated strand lumber (LSL) is a structural member made by cutting long
thin strands approximately 300mm long and 0.8mm - 1.3mm thick directly
from de-barked logs. The strands are blended, coated with adhesive and
oriented so that they are essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the
section before being reformed by steam-injection pressing into a solid
section. LSL is used in similar applications to LVL.

Parallel strand lumber


Parallel strand lumber (PSL) is a structural member made by cutting long Figure 5 Figure 6
thin strands (typically 3.2mm thick, 20mm wide and up to 3.0m long) from Connections in curved,vertically Cross laminated timber
laminated glulam
timber veneers. The strands are oriented so that they are essentially parallel
to the longitudinal axis of the section before being coated with adhesive and Table 2: Characteristic strength, stiffness and density properties for some EWPs
fed into a continuous press and microwave-cured. PSL is used in similar
applications to LVL.
LSL and PSL have recently become less widely available in the UK due to a
preference for LVL and supply chain considerations.

Glued laminated timber


Glued laminated timber (glulam) is a structural member made by gluing
together a number of graded timber laminations with their grain parallel
to the longitudinal axis of the section. Members can be straight or curved,
horizontally or vertically laminated and can be used to create a variety of
structural forms (Figure 5).
Laminations are typically 25mm or 45mm thick but smaller laminations
may be necessary where tightly curved or vertically laminated sections are
use glue or nails. Fabricated from softwood timber posts connected with
required.
hardwood timber dowels, the system works by using dowels with a moisture
The requirements for the manufacture of glulam are contained in product content lower than that of the posts. Over time, the dowels expand to achieve
standard BS EN 14080: 2013. moisture equilibrium, thus ‘locking’ the posts together and creating a
structural load-bearing panel system. CLT should be designed using the
Cross laminated timber principles given in BS EN 1995-1-1 and -1-2 together with data from the
manufacturer of the product.
Cross laminated timber (CLT) is a structural timber product with a minimum
of three cross-bonded layers of timber, of thickness 6mm to 45mm, strength Table 2 illustrates the properties of a variety of EWPs.
graded to BS EN 14081-1:2005 and glued together in a press which applies
pressure over the entire surface area of the panel. Reconstituted wood-based board products
CLT panels typically have an odd number of layers (3,5,7,9) which may be Reconstituted board products are typically manufactured by combining
of differing thicknesses but which are arranged symmetrically around the smaller wood strands or fibres with adhesive. There is a structural penalty
middle layer with adjacent layers having their grain direction at right angles when timber is modified from a sawn product to small strands and fibres
to one another (Figure 6). used in board products, as the effects of creep increase as the amount of glue
used to join the smaller wood elements increases.
The structural benefits of CLT over conventional softwood wall framing and
joisted floor constructions, include: The design of reconstituted timber board materials takes the resulting
reduced performances into account by the use of relatively low values for
• large axial and flexural load-bearing capacity when used as a wall or slab
the factor kmod in BS EN 1995-1-1 Table 3.1 for OSB, particleboards and
• high in-plane shear strength when used as a shear wall
fibreboards.
• fire resistance characteristics for exposed applications
• superior acoustic properties
Oriented strand board
Due to its arrangement as a panel rather than a framed construction Oriented strand board (OSB) is a multilayer board made from strands of
comprising discrete loadbearing elements, CLT also distributes concentrated wood sliced from small diameter timber logs and bonded together with an
loads as line loads at foundation level. A variant of CLT developed in exterior grade adhesive, under heat and pressure. OSB is manufactured in
Germany in the 1970s is Brettstapel or ‘massive timber’, which is the term various grades with improving resistance to the effects of moisture. The
commonly used for solid timber construction that does not generally minimum grade that should be used for

www.structuraltimber.co.uk

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Table 3: Summary of timber, engineered wood and board products and their structural applications

www.structuraltimber.co.uk

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Figure 7
Comparison of modulus
of elasticity (E) and
associated variation with
various timber grades
and structural timber
composites

Figure 8
Scunthorpe Sports Academy: example of glulam gridshell roof

structural applications is OSB/3 as given in BS EN 300:1997. OSB is Reduced moisture content


commonly used as a structural sub deck material for floors and roofs and The production requirements for certain EWPs may call for low
as a sheathing material for walls. It is also used for composite constructions moisture content e.g. gluing, which can result in lower movement
such as I joist webs and structural insulated panels (SIPs). upon drying out in service. However, in some cases (e.g. OSBs) the
moisture content of the product following manufacture is lower than
Particleboard and fibre composites will be experienced during the construction phase, which can lead
to problems due to dimensional changes of the product in humid
There are a number of different board materials made from particle and fibre
environments.
composites including fibreboards, tempered hardboard, cement-bonded
particleboard and wood chipboard. The most common for structural Dimensional consistency
applications is chipboard, which is made from small particles of wood and Engineered wood products disperse the natural defects inherent
binder. in solid timber and are manufactured to controlled tolerances. As
a result, their dimensional consistency is significantly improved.
Chipboards are classified as grades P1-P7 in BS EN 312:2003 depending
This can be beneficial where tight tolerances may be required e.g.
on their intended use. The minimum grade that should be used for structural
at connections. More regular joist depths also result in flatter floor
applications is P5 which is a moisture-resistant grade.
structures than would be possible with sawn timber joists; thus
The characteristic strength and stiffness values for OSB, particleboards and avoiding some of the problems that can be associated with small
fibreboards for use in structural design are contained in BS EN 12369- variations in joist depth such as ‘nail squeak’.
1:2001.
Ease of installing services and ease of handling
Table 3 shows the range of timber and EWPs available, together with their Service runs for mechanical and electrical infrastructure can easily
typical applications. be installed through open-web joists and, to a lesser extent,
through I joists.
Advantages of EWPs as structural materials
I joists and open web joists in particular are lighter in weight than
Use of waste timber equivalent solid timber sections and are therefore easier to handle.
Timber can be recycled and turned into strands and fibres and reconstituted
into an engineered wood product. Types of timber structures
Structural methods have been developed, incorporating EWPs, to
Enhanced strength and stiffness provide timber structures which achieve a particular function with
By building up a structural section from a number of smaller elements it is satisfying aesthetic form and performance e.g. timber gridshells and
possible to reduce the variability inherent in natural timber, thereby stressed skin panel roofs (Figure 8).
improving the strength and stiffness of the composite section.
Portal frames and beam and post structures
This is illustrated in Figure 7 which shows the mean and 5th percentile Large open plan structures can be created by using portal frames
modulus of elasticity parallel to the grain associated with a range of and beam and post structures constructed from engineered
softwoods, hardwoods and structural timber composites. The figure shows wood products.
that composites have better stiffness properties than the natural sawn sec-
tions from which they are composed. Platform frame construction
Methods of construction such as platform frame construction enable
Increased size and scope of application the construction of multi-storey timber frame structures for buildings
Engineered timber structures incorporate factory produced components which have a cellular arrangement of rooms and where internal
where the constraints on length and section may be determined only by loadbearing walls can be utilised.
manufacturing, handling and transportation considerations rather than the
constraints set by the size of log available. It is therefore possible to extend
the range of timber engineering possibilities to large span and tall structures.

www.structuraltimber.co.uk

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Table 4: Types of timber structural systems and their applications

Trussed rafters Structural insulated panels


The modern trussed rafter roof is an engineered timber structure that has Other structural systems such as structural insulated panels (SIPs) are
evolved in form over the past 40 years, but most commonly adopts the use composite members which use a core of rigid insulation, not only
of softwood timber tension and compression members connected in a single
plane by punched metal plate fasteners, manufactured from galvanised mild to provide a u-value for a building’s thermal envelope, but also to form a
steel. longitudinal shear connection between plywood or OSB face layers; thus
enabling it to act as a structural panel.
Table 4 provides a brief description of the types and scope of engineered
timber structures that can be designed to provide structurally efficient and
aesthetically appealing structures for a wide variety of building uses.
These and other structural methods will be investigated in more depth
www.structuraltimber.co.uk in subsequent articles in this series.

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Design DEFINITIONS
Eurocode 5 has provided opportunities for UK designers to use timber for Engineered wood products - reconstituted wood-based products which
new applications that should give economic solutions, particularly as the may be formed from homogenous wood-based material; for example glulam
code makes provision for the use of new materials, such as engineered or non-homogenous products to form a composite material e.g. I joists.
wood products and new efficient jointing techniques. The code encourages
Composites - an assembly of engineered or naturally occurring materials
engineers to gain a greater understanding of timber which will lead to more
made from more than one constituent part, which work together structurally.
efficient and innovative designs for engineered timber structures.
Structural forms and detailing, together with examples of calculations for REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
structural timber to Eurocode 5, will be discussed in future articles.
Porteus J. and Kermani A. (2008) Structural Timber Design to

Limitations Eurocode 5 Chichester: John Wiley & Sons

In addition to the structural strength and stiffness aspects of timber The Institution of Structural Engineers/TRADA (2007) Manual for
engineering there are other considerations which affect ‘wholebuilding’ the design of timber building structures to Eurocode 5 London: ISE/TRADA
performance and must be considered. These include:
UKTFA (2007) Engineered Wood Products Code of Practice [Online]
• Timber shrinkage and differential movement Available at: https://jji-joists.s3.amazonaws.com/EWP-COP.pdf
• Design for robustness (Accessed: February 2013)
• Architectural detailing including detailing for durability
Lancashire R. and Taylor L. (2011) Timber Frame Construction
• Fire during construction and service
(5th ed.) High Wycombe: TRADA
• Workmanship and maintenance
TRADA (2011) Wood Information Sheet: 1-6 Glued laminated timber -
As with structural form/detailing etc., these topics will be explored in
an introduction High Wycombe: TRADA
more depth, later in the series.
TRADA (2011) Wood Information Sheet: 2/3-61 Cross-laminated timber -
RELEVANT CODES OF PRACTISE introduction for specifiers High Wycombe: TRADA

BS 5268-2:2002 Structural use of timber – Part 2: Code of practice for TRADA (2011) Wood Information Sheet: 2/3-23 Introduction to woodbased
permissible stress design, materials and workmanship panel products High Wycombe: TRADA

BS EN 300:1997 Oriented Strand Boards (OSB) – Definitions, TRADA (2009) Guidance Document 10 (GD10) Cross-laminated Timber
classification and specifications (Eurocode 5) – Design Guide for Project Feasibility High Wycombe: TRADA

BS EN 312:2003 Particleboards - Specifications Ozelton E.C. and Baird J.A. (2006) Timber Designers Manual (3rd ed.)
Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell
BS EN 338:2009 Structural timber - Strength classes
British Standards Institution (2012) Concise Eurocodes: Design of
BS EN 636:2003 Plywood – Specifications
Timber Structures BS EN 1995-1-1: Eurocode 5 London: BSI
BS EN 1995-1-1 Eurocode 5: Design of Timber Structures – Part 1-1:
Herzog T. et. al (2004) Timber Construction Manual Birkhauser Architecture
General – Common rules and rules for buildings
UK National Annex to Eurocode 5: BS EN 1995-1-1: Design of Timber
Structures – Part 1-1: General – Common rules and rules for buildings
PD 6693-1:2012 UK Non-Contradictory Complementary Information The Structural Timber Association represents over 85% of the UK’s timber
(NCCI) to Eurocode 5: Design of timber structures structural frame supply industry and is a trade organisation that provides
BS EN 12369-1:2001 Wood-based panels – Characteristic values for business and technical support to the industry. The Association provides
Structural Design: Part 1: OSB, Particleboards and Fibreboards peer reviewed outputs on subjects related to the timber industry such as
health and safety, fabric and technical performance, fire safety, promotion and
BS EN 12369-2:2004 Wood-based panels – Characteristic values for training. These documents and other information are available at
Structural Design: Part 2: Plywood www.structuraltimber.co.uk/information-centre/technical-library
BS EN 14080:2013 Timber structures – Glued laminated timber –
Requirements
BS EN 14081-1:2005 Timber Structures – Strength graded structural
timber with rectangular cross-section. General requirements
BS EN 14374:2004 Timber structures. Structural laminated veneer
lumber. Requirements

www.structuraltimber.co.uk

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